Hot dogs wrapped in fresh homemade soft pretzel dough! A cheap and delicious treat that's sure to bring out the kid in you. Freeze the extras to make another day!
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in the warm water for the dough. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Once mixed, add the yeast mixture and oil. Mix and knead the mixture until the dough forms. If the mix is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. If the mixture is too wet, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should form a cohesive shape and not stick to the sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough until smooth, about 8-10 minutes. This is easiest in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Once the dough is smooth, remove it from the bowl and give the bowl a quick spray of oil. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. (I use the bread proofing function of my oven)
Prepare the Dogs:
Once dough has risen, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, smooth surface (I use my countertop) and divide into 10 equal pieces. Using the palms of your hands to roll the dough against the counter, roll each piece into a rope about 18” long.
Remove the hot dogs from their packaging and pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Gently wind a dough piece around each dog. I like to press the ends of the dough rope flat with my fingers, and tuck them under the rope as it’s wrapped around. This helps them hold their shape a bit better as they bake.
In a medium bowl (oval-shaped, if you have it) dissolve the baking soda in the warm water to make the baking soda bath. This baking soda bath is what gives the pretzel’s their dark exterior, so don’t skip this step! Dip each pretzel dog in the bath, let excess water drip off, then place it on the baking sheet. The baking soda will not dissolve completely, so I like to agitate the water as I dip each dog to get more baking soda on the surface.
Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 8 minutes. Please note, they will brown faster than normal bread, so don’t pull them when they’re golden or the inside may be undercooked.
Melt the butter (I do this in the microwave), then brush each dog with a little bit and top with the coarse salt. The brush of butter is what gives the pretzel dogs their nice shine, so I don’t recommend skipping this step. Serve immediately.
To Freeze:
Follow the instructions to prepare the dogs, but don’t dip them in the baking soda bath.
Place the unbaked pretzel dogs on a wax paper lined cookie sheet or plate so they are not touching, and place in the freezer until frozen. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer proof zip bag to store long term.
To reheat from frozen:
Fully defrost the dogs, I do this by moving them to the fridge ~12 to 24 hours in advance. Then let them warm up on the counter for about an hour prior to baking.
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Prepare the baking soda bath as directed in step 4 of the "Prepare the Dogs" section, then continue following the directions to finish cooking the pretzel dogs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 pretzel dogCalories: 365kcal
Keyword Hot Dogs, Pretzel, Pretzel Dogs, Soft Pretzel
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